Namikaze or Uzumaki
by Fluffy-Akumaru
Summary: Menma is at the end of his rope. With his wife (the 7th hokage) missing, he'd do anything to bring her back to his arms. Even if it means searching across universes. MenSaku/NaruSaku Watch Road to Ninja to understand! Rated M for now.
1. Chapter 1: Inner Turmoil

AN: Guess who's back guys? I know, you were probably expecting that new story about Shinachiku and Jinchuriki Sakura, but things got complicated. College work, is stressful and it gets in the way of my writing. So, this is just another one of my random ideas. As mentioned in the description, I suggest you watch RTN before reading this, otherwise, you'd be confused as hell. Anyways, enjoy!

* * *

A black haired 25-year-old burst through the doors of the hokage's office. A dark scowl was set on his masculine face, making him look just as menacing as the past version of himself. He stomped up to the front desk and slammed his fists on it, nearly breaking the ancient setting of document in the process. The blonde woman sitting behind the desk sighed, already knowing what the situation was.

"Where the hell is she?!"

Five months have passed since the 7th hokage became a missing ninja. She was sent on an extremely high ranked mission that was only supposed to last 2 max. She even had some escorts to go with her, and they were some of the top ANBU to have entered the assassin program. Not only that, but the hokage herself was definitely a force to be reckoned with, and the strongest kunoichi to come from their village. However, this hokage was the wife and teacher of some very short-tempered individuals.

Tsunade pushed her red rimmed glasses up further on the bridge of her nose and sighed. She was tired, frustrated, and if they didn't find a break through soon, she was going to lose her mind. "I honestly can't tell you, Menma. And I understand that you're desperate. We all are, but please-"

"NO! MY WIFE IS STILL OUT THERE! AND I REFUSE TO REST UNTIL SHE'S BACK HOME SAFE IN MY ARMS!"

The slug sage wanted to cry. Her student has changed the furious man glaring into her soul. Menma used to have a heart of coal, nothing but darkness surrounding his soul until he married the 7th hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village:

Mrs. Sakura 'Haruno' Namikaze.

Just the thought of her 'surrogate daughter's' name pained her. There were no clues leading towards her discovery at all. It was already extremely dangerous for a kage to leave their village. That was why either the previous or the next hokage sat as a place holder until any final decisions were made. And because Sakura hasn't returned in her due time, Tsunade had to return to take back the title as Lady 5th until the 8th hokage comes to take the throne.

The 8th candidate has already been decided, but he was being too damn stubborn at the moment.

"Menma, you do realize that soon, whether you agree to or not, the council, and everyone else will look at you as the hokage. The decision has already been made final, and the only reason why you aren't in the big chair now is because of me." Tsunade had told the council that Menma had some strong mental issues going on. It wasn't a lie, because anyone could tell that it was indeed true just by looking at him. But it was only told to prolong the search for Sakura. Menma growled, "You already know my answer!"

"Well, you've looked everywhere yourself, haven't you? As much as I would like to continue the search myself, you and I both know that the council is running out of patience, especially with Sakura coming from a civilian clan."

Menma cursed under his breath. He knew the old hag was right, but Sakura... she changed him in ways he never knew he could. If his wife was still out there somewhere, then he damn sure was going to find her, and bring hell to whoever was keeping her hidden, if that was the case. But he was running out of options. Sakura's been missing for 5 whole months, going on 6. It was all going down the hill, and Menma was on the verge of going rouge. The dark haired jinchuriki left the office, slamming the door shut behind him.

Tsunade buried her face in her hands. Sure, she was against Menma stressing himself out, but a huge part of her was grateful that he still wanted to continue searching. She propped her elbows and folded her hands under her chin. "Menma," she whispered to the empty darkness of her office, "Please, please bring her home. Don't lose hope... we're all counting on you."

~~~X~~~

Menma sadly walked back to the Namikaze mansion. It'd be lonely, but he could deal with it...

Or so he thought.

When he flipped on the switch, the living room looked dull and lifeless. The furniture was a bit dusted, and a few cobwebs where hanging in the corners of the ceiling. He walked up the stairs and down the hallway to the master bedroom. Menma took in a deep breath before slowly opening the door, hoping for the impossible. He flipped the switch and sighed, glaring at the red and black comforter that was also a bit dusted. He walked in and plopped on the foot of the bed, running his fingers through his dark spiky hair.

Menma looked up and saw a pink haired woman smiling back at him through a picture fame on his dresser. He stood and smiled, walking over to observe his precious framed memories. Menma remembered that day very well. He, Sakura, Sasuke, and Hinata had gone on a double date to the Crashing Waves Coast. The place had been cleared of the debris left over from the war and was now used for Samurai Training, but mostly a chill spot for war heroes who could go without having a mental breakdown from PTSD. Sasuke tried to flirt with Sakura and Hinata tried to flirt with Menma, so Sakura got triggered and punched them both towards the sunset. Menma and Sakura got a laugh out of the two trying to swim back to shore with pissed looks on their faces.

They had tried the same thing on another picture, and their faces proved as evidence. They'd tried it again at the Spring Festival, and the picture showed Menma and Sakura smiling while holding Sasuke and Hinata down in a chokehold.

He wished that she was home so bad right now. He'd have a good laugh out of Sakura ranting about the dates. It was something about her temper that attracted him to her. Menma smiled when he thought of this. His father had been right all along then.

Back when Menma was 16, Minato had told him about how he'd end up with Sakura. He remembers his father saying something about the Namikazes being attracted to the feisty ones, thus why he married Kushina. Menma also remembers his father asking him about Hinata, which he immediately shut down. Menma had claimed that at least Sakura had some self-control, but Hinata was just wild. And when she and Sakura would fight over him, Hinata would keep bringing Sakura's chest size into the argument, which he clearly wasn't' interested in at all.

Menma placed the photo back and continued to observe the other souvenirs he that came from his time spent with Sakura and the rest of his friends. Ever since the evening of the day Sakura was supposed to return, Menma had been out of the village, away from his home, looking for his wife. Sure, he got in trouble with Lady Tsunade, and other kages that had caught him snooping around their villages without warning. But honestly, he didn't care. Sure, it did look suspicious for an ANBU from another village to be stalking someone else's territory, but Menma was nice enough to explain the situation to them...

Instead of flipping them off.

Heading back to bed, Menma stripped out of his shirt and flopped down on top of the comforter, ignoring the light does cloud that surrounded him from the action. He wasn't going to cry. No, he had gained a bit of a sympathetic side, but he wasn't one to cry. However, this situation might get a pass. He and Sakura practically grew up together. During some attack on the village, Sakura's father, the 4th hokage, had died protecting the village. Her mom had died with him, leaving Sakura alone by herself. Villagers felt sorry for her, yet they didn't want to help her much. Kizashi Haruno had a heap of enemies when he took office. Rumors spread about him, claiming that it was his fault why the village was attacked in the first place. However, unlike the rest of the villagers, Menma's parents helped look after her. Tsunade was her main caretaker because she didn't care if it would cause enemies to target her. But when she was busy and Menma's parents were free, they'd babysit. Menma was at first, skeptical of the pink- haired girl. Even though her parents were dead, she still held a happy face. But he was no fool, Menma could see the pain she kept bottled up within her. It wasn't healthy at all, but when they got older, she only cried around him.

Just thinking about her sad face made his blood boil. He just wanted to hold her close and never let go. If she was being held captive somewhere, then Kami help him, they'd wish they didn't exist. When Sakura was in the village, he'd send death glares at any man who thought about looking at her. Okay, so maybe he did grow to be a little bit two overprotective of her, but he couldn't help!

Menma sat up on the bed and stretched his arms above his head. He let out a loud obnoxious yawn that probably would've earned him a knock upside his head. He felt depressed. He needed her, wanted her, and it was just his luck that she left at a terrible time.

Really... really terrible.

While thinking back on his past memories, he came across something that he was sure wasn't supposed to be in his brain. It troubled him to the point of ultimate confusion. He decided to just ignore it for now and try to get some rest. Menma curled up in a fetal position on his bed, cuddling the pillow of his lost beloved.

* * *

Shinachiku fic is still in the working my fellow Inuzukas! Don't give up hope just yet. But, I have other fics on the way as well. Expect slow updates (probably). Next chapter coming soon!


	2. Chapter 2: Help Needed

AN: Sorry for the hold up! Here's chapter two of Namikaze or Uzumaki!

Now, I know that I said that I was going to be working on the Shinachiku story, but then I also said a while ago that I wasn't going to post any more stories without a full thought out plot, which is why that story isn't out yet. Also, the issue with Menma's hair color. I know that after Obito 'broke the curse' or whatever, his hair turned back to its original yellow color. BUT, other than Menma's hair being longer, him and Naruto look like identical twins. So by keeping his hair black, I'm only creating a small difference. I hope you'll understand that. :)

Anyways, enjoy this chap!

* * *

The next morning, Menma woke with a terrible headache. He couldn't sleep last night. All he thought about was saving Sakura. Nothing else was on his mind but her. Part of him was frustrated. Why... why did she have to disappear like this? He felt like a toddler who got lost at a carnival, separated from his mother. He sat up slowly and gripped his hair tightly. He didn't even feel like eating anything. He just got up and went to the bathroom and took a hot shower. He liked to feel the hot needles of water piercing his skin. He just stood under the shower head, letting the water wash over his head and back, ignoring the water that was getting in his eyes.

Turning off the water, Menma wrapped a towel around his waist and stepped out of the shower. He shook the water out of his hair and leaned over the sink to look himself in the mirror. "You look like shit," he told himself and let a dry smirk cross his face. He could feel himself slowly dipping back into his old self, the Menma who resented everything. The Menma who nearly pushed his own friends and family away just from being so arrogant and annoying. He didn't want that to happen. Even though, his wife had changed him, Menma still wasn't a happy go lucky man. He was just... less dark and scary. Menma got dressed in a dark grey and black hoodie with a pair of black joggers and headed out into the foggy dusk of the day.

Very few people were up at this hour. It was only like 7a.m, and some shop owners were just now starting to open up their shops or booths. Of those very few people, some greeted him, some apologized for his lost, but Menma ignored them all. The villagers were used to it by now, but they all understood his pain. Sakura was a great hokage. They were all familiar with her friendly and caring personality. Most of them knew her from when she was working full time at the hospital. She healed most of them back to health, and they couldn't be more grateful for her talent. Menma sometimes would see little kids crying, asking him when Lady Sakura would return to the village. All he could do was tell them that he would find her in no time.

And that was about 2 or 3 months ago...

He didn't know where he was going. He was just quietly walking down the road to nowhere, thinking of what he would do next. He'd searched everywhere. In every village, town, land, etc. She was nowhere to be found. On top of that, he kept thinking back to that memory flash he had the night before. Menma remembered how frustrating it was just to think on it. It felt like it was important, like he should've remembered it. Menma remembered seeing a blonde-haired boy who looked like him, and... his wife? "This has to mean something," He thought, as he made for a mad dash towards the only one he knew could help him at the moment.

~~~X~~~

Itachi Uchiha sat on top of a large boulder while watching his teammates argue over...

...something stupid that he apparently didn't care about...

He groaned and rolled his eyes as Hidan, once again, decided to make Jashin ambulettes out of Deidara's clay. The two argued and argued for the longest. "Would you two cut it out!", came Kakazu's voice.

"But Kakazu," cried the suicidal psycho, "All I wanted to do was praise my beloved lord Jashin! Can't Deidara just buy more clay? Besides, this is his punishment for what he did last week!"

Deidara had lost a bet with Hidan, resulting in him having to give 100 human sacrifices to please 'Lord Jashin'. Of course, he didn't do so. Instead, Deidara gave Hidan 100 sheep, saying that finding humans who would willingly sacrifice themselves would be too troublesome.

"Does it look like if give a fuck? I'm trying to count my damn income! Now SHUT THE HELL UP!"

The fighting continued, and Itachi just left. He walked away from the Akatsuki hide out and walked back towards the village, looking forward to enjoying some syrup covered dumplings and checking up on his little brother. Sadly, that couldn't be the case since a very angry Namikaze was spotted in the distance running in his direction.

Of course, Itachi knew what had happened to the 7th hokage. Why wouldn't he? The Akatsuki didn't really stay in the village for long, only when they were being assigned a mission or if there was a huge threat in the village. But they've heard the news from the kages of other villages. Menma finally reached him, with a distraught look on his face. "What's wrong?"

"I... I need to talk to you," Menma said, struggling to breathe.

"I'm listening."

"You see, I keep having these strange visions. They seem important, but I just can't remember them."

"What did you see in these visions?"

"It's kind of blurry, but I faintly remember seeing a blonde-haired version of me and... my wife..."

Itachi's brows lifted a little in realization, "You mean the Tsukoyomi?"

"Soo- ko- wha?"

Itachi rolled his eyes, "That blonde haired kid, his name was Naruto. How could you not remember that?"

"I remember! I just... didn't remember their last names... ANYWAYS! What does this all mean?"

Itachi started walking towards a forest, and Menma took that as a hint to follow. Once they got far enough, the Uchiha turned back towards Menma with a serious look on his face, "Okay listen, no one who witnessed what happened with those foreigns, so this stays between us, got that?" The Namikaze nodded, and Itachi continued.

"Alright. 9 years ago, a mysterious man in a mask came here named Madara. He attacked you shortly after Lady 7th left the village during that time. He had somehow possessed you, and you winded up committing mass genocide on rouge ninja. Naruto and Sakura were sent to the village shortly after, out of nowhere. They were so confused about everything going on, as if they expected everything and everyone to be... backwards."

"What do you mean 'backwards'?"

"Well, based on how they were acting, Naruto's dad was the hokage, and both of his parents were also dead. As for everything else, your friends' personalities were backwards too. I mean, imagine a shy and quiet Hinata."

Menma smirked. He wouldn't mind a shy and quiet Hinata for just once in his life. It'd be beautiful, paradise. Then something snapped in his brain. "Itachi, I think I just thought of the best idea ever!"

"What?"

Itachi has experienced multiple, MULTIPLE scenarios of his comrades coming up with stupid ideas in the past. But this was beyond his wildest imagination.

"What if I were to bring the Sakura from her universe, we could have our hokage back! And my wife!"

The older Uchiha sibling let out a heavy sigh and facepalmed, "That... is the most... STUPIDEST idea I've ever heard!"

"But..."

"What happened to your brain? Where did it go, huh? Where? Where did you even get the idea of taking someone from another UNIVERSE and making them stay here? To run a village? TO BE YOUR WIFE?"

Menma scoffed and turned away, "I know it seems obscure... but maybe... just maybe..." Itachi sighed and placed a hand on the depressed man's shoulder, "I know you're in pain right now; we all are. But, Menma, that was... this plan couldn't work."

"And why not?" The Namikaze was furious at this point. If he wanted his wife back, then he was going to get her. With or without Itachi's help.

"Have you even though about the consequences? The 'Could and the Could Nots?' What if Sakura isn't the hokage in her universe? What if, what if she isn't even married to... 'Alternative You'?"

Annoyed, Menma began to walk off, "Dude! I just want to know if you're going to help me or not. But since you're making such a big deal out of it, I guess not."

Great, just great! He already had to deal with two crack headed teammates. Now, he had a dark, depressed, stubborn little emo too? "I never did say that I wouldn't help you. I just asked if you were aware of the consequences."

"So, are you helping or not?"

Itachi sighed, "Yes, but this isn't just some easy task. It'd be better not to bring this up to Lady Tsunade though, she'd definitely turn down the opportunity. I'm only doing this as orders under the 8th hokage, which is probably your public title by now."

Menma sighed, "Just, don't call me that." Now that he mentioned it, he actually did begin to think about the consequences of his actions. His wife, in truth, was probably more than likely dead. What if the 'alternative' Sakura didn't love him? What if she weren't the hokage? He groaned audibly in frustration. All these questions were really starting to bug him. Itachi, of course, picked up on it.

"Are you sure that you want to do this? I mean, do you even have a plan on what you're going to do when you get there? Cause to me, it just seems like you want to go and see her. How are you going to bribe her into coming here?"

Menma shook his head viscously, "STOP WITH THE QUESTIONS DAMN IT! Let's just get this over with!" Itachi remained emotionless and began walking off into a random direction. Menma took this as a cue to follow him.

~~~X~~~

They wound up stopping near this weird place with what looked like houses stationed on the side of a mountain. "This place... it seems familiar."

"That's because this is where you fought Naruto and Sakura." Itachi responded. He performed a few hand signs and tapped the black haired's forehead. Menma looked around and saw images, scenes of him fighting a blonde- haired boy. He had a fox within him too, but it was a bit brighter than his almost black fox. He was knocked out, and saw a strange ghost- like figure go into his body, possessing him. Then he unleashed a red eye with tomoes in it, similar to Itachi and Sasuke's. The blonde boy eventually was forced into looking at Menma's eye, and his kitsune was starting to extract from him.

That was until, the pink- haired girl came in and attacked.

Menma was confused. What was he so worried about? This girl, Sakura, was protecting... Naruto. Even though she knew she didn't have a winning chance. She was shouting at him, encouraging the blonde to get up. But wait, that could just be mere friendship. That was what he thought until he'd witness himself kick Sakura up into the air, sending her flying backwards into the air. That was then were Naruto decided to get up and catch her. The look in their eyes, the way they were looking at each other. He, was looking into her eyes as a man who loved a woman for years. She, was looking into his eyes as a thankful woman. Like he was her knight in shining armor. He could tell that they'd known each other for ages.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when Itachi ended the genjutsu. "Basically, in the endy, you were defeated and they were sent home, along with the man who possessed you. Now, are you ready to begin the process?" Menma nodded, "How long will this take?"

"Not long at all. After the masked man left, I looked into how he was able to merge our universes somehow. Turns out, he used a sacred jutsu used only by those of either my blood, or possesing my eye."

"No way, you don't mean-"

"Yes, either that man had taken one of our eyes, or he's actually an Uchiha. I'd go with the latter, because no one, no matter how many sharingans they take, should be able to use a jutsu that strong."

"Wow, so, you know what type of jutsu he used?"

"Limited Tsukoyomi. A jutsu which allows a user to trap it's opponents into a crystal ball, sending them into an alternative dimension. He apparently used this jutsu to steal Naruto's kyuubi."

Menma nodded, "So... do you know how to use this jutsu?"

Itachi facepalmed, "I wouldn't have brought you here if I didn't know what I was doing." The older Uchiha brother pulled out a red crystal ball, "Just in case you were wondering, yes, I am sure this will send you to the right dimension. I had Tsunade run a few tests after Naruto and Sakura left. That jutsu that the masked man used, it was new to us. So, I had her look into it with me."

"So what do I do?"

"Simple, we wait until night time, and we meet up here. When I toss this ball up in the air, you just stair at it, and you will end up in this same spot, except you'll be in another universe, meaning I won't be there to help you."

Menma took in a deep breath and sighed, "Alright, I'll be here." With that, he took off to his home, his mind set on preparing for his trip. Itachi closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. "I know you are there." The 5th Hokage appeared from her spot on a tree. She wore a worried expression, "Where you really planning on not telling me?"

Itachi sighed, "You'd only be in the way."

"I want to help Menma as much as you do."

"You would've found out anyways."

"True, but, are you sure this is what's best for him? It's only a matter of time before he realizes-"

"I know that. I think this would be a good opportunity for him though. He needs to see her, just one more time. I think we should let him stay for as much as he needs to."

"As long as you are there to guide him."

"Of course. Both Sasuke and Menma are like my little brothers. I will be there for him every step of the way."

Tsunade sighed a breath of relief, "Thank you, for being there for him."

Itachi nodded, and walked back to his hideout, waiting for the moon to rise over the horizon, to signal the start of what could be one of their riskiest missions yet.


	3. Chapter 3: Seeing Your Face

Menma woke at like 12 in the morning. The moon was just high in the sky of the fire country, and no one was awake. But Menma didn't mind. He had a mission to complete. A very personal one at that. He jumped out of bed and completed his regular morning routines, though it felt awkward since it was still technically night time. Afterwards, he considered packing a bunch of scrolls full of personal and mission necessities. But then again, he was only going to wind up back in the leaf village. He was pretty sure that the only thing that would be different would be his friends and his past. Other than that, the dark- haired man figured that he could just simply buy all of his other needs. With that in mind, Menma only grabbed his wallet and kunai/shuriken holder and made a mad dash towards the location Itachi told him to meet.

Half way to the location, the dark- haired man skidded to a stop and began dreadfully checking his pockets. "No, how could I forget?" Menma turned around and ran back to his mansion to retrieve one more item.

~~~X~~~

Itachi was the first to arrive at the location. Right when he was about to think that Menma had dropped the mission he came dropping in from one of the surrounding trees behind him. "So, you've come?" The Namikaze silently approached the Uchiha, "So, when do we get started?"

"Calm down. Before we begin this mission, may I remind you of the possible outcomes?"

"No! I just want to go there and get my wife!"

"Fine, but keep this in mind. These will not be the same people you know. Hinata will be nice. Kiba will love dogs. Ino will be mean. Shino will like bugs. Lee won't be... well... you should know what opposite Lee will be like. Kakashi will be the lazy one and Gai will be the energetic one. But most importantly, you won't be the same, and neither will she."

"Yeah, yeah. I've mentally prepared myself for all of that! Now, can we please get going!"

Itachi sighed. He knew that eventually, during this mission, he'd have to tell Menma the truth. But, he could cross that bridge when he got there. "Alright then. When I through this red ball into the air, I want you to just stare it. I've tweaked the jutsu around a bit, so you should arrive there at noon. You won't have to wait that long though, it's just a bit of time skipping." Menma nodded, and Itachi sighed, "Lady Tsunade, we'll be back soon." The elder Uchiha threw the crystal up in the air, and Menma's eyes followed.

There was a bright light shining so boldly that it caused Menma to block it from his view. However, the jutsu had already taken effect. Itachi watched as Menma was warped to another universe. Right when he was about to warp there with him, he sensed a presence and put it in the spotlight, "What do you need, Konan?"

The purple haired kunoichi stepped from her spot behind some bushes. "A message from Lady 5th."

"I'm listening."

"She said to be careful. She wants you to follow Menma around during his mission and to act as an aid on his journey." Itachi turned towards his teammate, "You've come here for your own personal message as well, haven't you?"

Konan nodded, "Of course I have. Not only for your safety, but for Menma as well. Seeing her face again, it may cause him to do something stupid. And you do realize, whether it happens on the mission or afterwards, you'll have to tell him-"

"Yes, I am fully aware of that."

"See, that's why I came here. This mission will put a lot of mental stress on the both of you."

The Uchiha smiled at the angel, "I appreciate your concern, Konan, but I know what I am doing. I've done with much more troubling situations before. I can't guarantee anyone that this mission will turn out to be a successful one, but I can assure you all, that I will do all within my powers to protect our Namikaze."

Konan smiled, "I know you will, which is why I love you."

The two Akatsuki lovers shared a passionate kiss before the elder Uchiha waved goodbye to his lover. "I will return back to you with Menma." And with that, Itachi warped away, and Konan went back to report to Tsunade.

"Please, be careful you two."

~~~X~~~

"Ms. Tanaka!"

The brown-haired woman shrieked in fear and saluted her boss, "Yes, Lady Haruno!"

The pinkette sighed, "How many times? I'm in a good mood today. There's no need to freak out everytime I turn the corners today! Now, I need you to cover my shift while I run to drop some classified documents off at the hokage's office. There are about 6 or 7 genin on the children's hall on the b- wing. I need you to attend to them for me until I get back. Their injuries aren't that serious, just a few kunai and shuriken wounds."

"Yes, Milady!"

"Good, I'll be right back!"

Sakura lied about being in a good mood. She wasn't in a bad one, but she was just... rather down today. A few months ago, she and Sasuke got into a huge argument. It was only like what, their 120th one!

She should've known, however, that this wasn't' going to work out. Sakura don't know what came over her head, falling in love with Sasuke all over again. Just how did she go from badass single woman to a fucking Sasuke fangirl fucktard? Sure, her feelings for him never dispersed, but they did die down. By the time Naruto had returned to the village, she had put Sasuke behind her. She was so focused on becoming stronger so that Naruto wouldn't have to protect her all of the time. And then the incident with her formal crush came. She didn't want to believe that Sasuke had actually tried to kill Naruto back in the Final Valley, but when she and Naruto were sent with Cpt. Yamato and Sai to Orochimaru's hideout to find Sasuke, she had seen it with her own eyes. And what hurt her the most was the fact that her boy best friend was still willing to go after him. As much as she wanted team 7 reunited herself, even she began to lose hope. So much to the point where she made a false confession to Naruto and attempted to kill Sasuke herself.

Foolish, she knew. She broke her best friend's heart, and that was something she never wanted to do. But she did anyways, in an attempt to save his life. But after that event, Naruto never treated her the same way. He stopped asking her on dates, stop complimenting her. They were just plain best friends from that day forwards. Except that one time during the 4th war where he told his own father that she was his girlfriend, which completely caught her off guard. How dare he had the audacity, after he stopped flirting with her and everything, he had the audacity to call her 'that'.

Ever since he called her that, her emotions were once again, thrown off track. After the war, Sasuke apologized to her and tapped her forehead, reminding her of what she'd consider a 'special moment' back when they were genin where he complimented her forehead...

And then... she was lost again...

Something about that moment didn't seem right. No matter how much her 12 year old self would've loved Sasuke to compliment her like that, her common sense told her that he'd never do such a thing in a million years. Even after he left the village for the second time, she was still confused about her feelings for her two teammates. Sure, she'll admit, she began developing feelings for the Uzumaki. Right when she felt that the time was right, she noticed the Hyuga trying to gain his attention. Seeing that had brought her back down to Earth. How could he still love her after what she did to him? So, instead, she helped Hinata gain her best friend's attention. She deserved him better anyways, since she always cared about him. In the end, she was happy to see the blonde take the title of Hokage all the while being married to a beautiful and kind woman. And she went off and married Sasuke Uchiha.

Now, here she was, standing in front of the door to the main office of the hokage tower, holding some very depressing documents in her hand.

~~~X~~~

Naruto Uzumaki, the 7th Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village, was living his best life. He finally achieved his dream of becoming the hokage. He's married to the noble princess of the Hyuga clan. He had a boring ass assistant who wouldn't let him do anything fun. And the cherry on top? He had a butt load of paper work to greet his whiskered, blue- eyed face every fricken morning. He's got everything in the bag.

Bullshit

Naruto was on the verge of throwing himself out the back windows of his office. He felt so depressed that he couldn't even recognize himself anymore. Naruto isn't some depressed slob. No. He was the freaking 'number 1 hyper active knuckled headed ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village', not a depressed mule! Sure, being married to a freaking princess sounded cool, but not when you don't feel anything special about it! He loved Hinata, he truly and honestly did. It's just that, he didn't feel that special 'click' like he supposed he was going to feel.

For starters, he felt like shit whenever he hears someone say, "Oh, the nanadaime and Lady Hinata were meant to be together from the start!" First of all, that shit didn't spread until Ino told everyone that they were dating. Second, he felt so undeserving of the pale eyed woman. Ever since they were kids, Naruto had always... 'not noticed' Hinata. His mind was so infatuated in his pink- haired teammate that he didn't give Hinata the time of day. And how dare they say they were meant to be together? It took a whole 5-minute genjutsu from some weird ass wannabe Majora's Mask dude who apparently been stalking them all their lives to even get him to consider her.

Not only that, but Hinata even confessed her feelings for him during the Pain attack, IN HIS FACE, and he completely ignored it. He just made sure that she was okay and left it at that. Not only did he bluntly ignore her confession, but he hugged another girl in front of the entire village. And he was supposed to be worthy of her love? Yeah right. How could he even live with himself? Even to this day, he still has feelings for Sakura. Naruto had been idolizing his favorite girl since the day he first met her. He literally watched her grow from an insecure little blossom, into one of the most strong and feared kunoichi to have ever walked the Earth. Yet, he knew that he loved Hinata too, and that just threw his emotions all off track.

Naruto sighed, he watched as his shadow clones completed his first stack for the morning. He had a meeting with his head medic that he was not looking forward to at all. With all the crap on his mind, it didn't help that a familiar knock sounded at the door 15 minutes early. Naruto dispersed the clones and called in his pink- haired beauty of a teammate.

~~~X~~~

Menma appeared in a large lush woodland. He assumed that Konoha had to be nearby, since the set up is clearly similar to his own homeland. As soon as the dark- haired man took a step, he felt a queasiness in his gut. He began remembering what Itachi had told him earlier. "What if he's right?" He asked himself, "What if, she doesn't love me here?"

"I was right you know. After all, this is an alternative dimension."

The Namikaze quickly turned around and saw a ghost- like version of the elder Uchiha brother. "What the?"

"Did you honestly think that this was a solo mission? If you were to get into any type of trouble, it'd be easier if I were here to get you back home safely." Menma calmed his nerves and continued to walk towards the village, "You know, a part of me think that you are just here because you are worried about me. But that's pointless now, because I've come for one thing and one thing only."

"But you are nervous, no?"

"What's there to be nervous about, Itachi? All I have to do is convince Sakura to come back to the village with me."

"She was stubborn in our world and I've seen the way she moves, what makes you think that any part of this mission is easy?"

"You complain about my safety too much Itachi. Now shut it and listen to my plan!" Itachi crossed his arms and listened to the dark-haired psycho intently as they continued to head towards the village.

As the duo reached the village, Itachi ordered that they stop. "What is it now?"

"I'll have you know, that it's weird enough to be seeing the two of you whisker faced freaks together, the last thing they need is to see a walking ghost. You're on your own until I am needed, got that?"

Menma smirked, "Finally, now, get out of my sight. I have a wife to retrieve."

Itachi sighed and closed his eyes, "I hope you know what you're doing." And with that, the older Uchiha left into Menma's shadow. Menma walked up to the village gates, trying his best to swallow his impenitentness, worry, and pride instead of breaking through the big tall double doors, finding what should be the only pink haired person in the village, and calling Itachi to take them home.

It shouldn't have been a surprise, but Menma sure as hell was pissed off about it.

He was greeted by two men, one wearing a bandage going around his head and over the bridge of his nose, and one wearing a durag with a konoha head band on his forehead. They went from looking confused as hell, to labeling him as an imposter. On the brightside, he was taken straight to the hokage's office. Now all he had to do was pray that his wife was in there with what might be his possible rival.

~~~X~~~

Sakura hesitantly opened the door and walked in. She closed the door behind her and slowly approached his desk, pulling up a chair and sliding the documents towards her best friend. Naruto picked up the papers and sighed, "You're hear a few minutes early."

"I... I know. I just thought it'd be better... maybe, I could just... talk to you while I'm hear?"

Naruto looked up from the papers to the pink beauty, "What is their to talk about? You already said that this decision was final."

Sakura continued to avoid his eyes, "I... I know."

Now being friends with someone for 15 years has its benefits. So, Naruto could read Sakura like a book. "Sakura- chan. You don't seem so sure of yourself-"

"I'm not and you know it!"

Naruto's eyes widened; he hasn't seen Sakura cry in what felt like forever. "Sakura- chan? Do you... maybe want to talk about it?"

Sakura shook her head. Her tears were flying all over the hokage's desk. "I don't know! I don't know what to do! I mean, I thought... that I LOVED Sasuke. He's never home, and when he does come home, he rarely talks to me about anything. The last time he told me that he loved me was when we got married. We didn't even have a fucking honeymoon! But... I don't know." Naruto stood up and walked around the desk. He pulled Sakura up and gave her a tight friendly hug. Even to this day, the thing he hated the most was to see Sakura cry. First off, he still loved the woman. Second, seeing her cry brought back memories he'd rather much forget. Like the time where she begged him to bring back Sasuke. Now, here she was, crying over that same man.

So, what did he do? He told her the only thing he could tell her. "Sakura-chan, just... just do what makes you feel comfortable. I mean, I'd prefer for you to continue your relationship with Sasuke. You know, because you've been chasing after him since forever-"

The pink beauty became infuriated and pushed the whiskered hokage away. "How dare you say that?!"

Naruto gave her a confused look, "Am I wrong?" He knew he fucked up then. Sakura was glaring daggers into his soul. Not only that, he gave himself the biggest mental facepalm a person could ever give themselves for sounding like Sai. Sakura held a fist up to his face before swiping it away to bring him her furious face. "I... I feel like you don't even know me! I only continued to chase after Sasuke because of you! You were willing to kill yourself just to keep that STUPID, SELFISH promise that you just couldn't let go for your own good!"

Now it was the blonde's turn to yell, "Then why did you marry him?!"

Sakura opened her mouth to answer, but then she closed it just as quickly and turned her head away, holding her right upper arm. Naruto calmed down and gently grabbed her shoulders, "Sakura-chan. You are my best friend. And as your best friend, I'd suggest you'd go ahead and divorce him. I can't stand seeing you look so tensed up and depressed all the time. And I hate that the man you love is the one who's causing you to be like this." Sakura sniffled and Naruto went to wipe away her tears. "I... I'm so sorry, Naruto. I didn't mean what I said earlier." Naruto smiled, "I forgive you. Besides, you tend to say some crazy things when you get over emotional."

Sakura glared and socked the poor hokage in the stomach. "BAKA!" Him saying that brought back the memory of the day that she was sure they weren't going to be friends ever again. She regretted the scheme she pulled in the Land of Iron. And that was something she just knew that she'd have to carry on her for the rest of her life. Naruto slowly sat up and rubbed the back of his head, "Oi, Oi. I'm sorry Sakura- chan." The pink beauty blew a strand of hair out of hair and walked over to help up her friend. "Geez, you'd think being the hokage would mean that you'd have some decency when choosing words. Especially when you say something that hits too close to home." The whiskered hokage smiled sheepishly and gave her another hug, "Sorry Sakura- chan. But you are an emotional person. But I still love you anyways."

Both of them turned deep red after his last statement. She knew he meant as friends, but she still didn't understand why she felt weak at the knees when he said that. Their moment, or whatever that was, was interrupted when a loud and alarming knock came from the door. Naruto broke the hug and fixed himself to look professional again. "Enter!"

Neither blue- eyed whiskered hokage nor pink- haired medic expected what walked through the office doors.

~~~X~~~

Menma smirked when he saw the shocked look on the hokage's face. "Miss me?"

Naruto growled, "What the hell are you doing here?" He had already signaled for the two gatekeepers to get back on duty. Before the dark- haired man could speak, his eyes widened when they landed on 'his' cherry blossom. She had moved to take a defensive stance in front of Naruto, surprising both men. "Why are you here? Surely not to hurt Naruto again!" Menma gasped. Why was she so protective over him?

"I did show you what happened when they came to our universe. You could've at least guessed that they were close." Itachi spoke into Menma's mind. The dark- haired man shut Itachi out. He's been complaining in his mental chamber ever since he was taken in by those two annoying gatekeepers. The last thing he needed was to hear his voice. Menma shook the thoughts out of his head and focused on the pink beauty in front of him. There she was, in all of her glory, his beloved wife. It would be perfect if she weren't glaring at him. Sure, his Sakura glared at him tons of times. But in this case, this was a different Sakura, and she was glaring at him with pure killer intent. A lioness ready to pounce at any moment if the enemy got too close to her cubs and king.

Menma's face bleached, "Sa- Sakura-chan?"

The whisker hokage's face cringed in disgust and anger. "What did he just say?"

The medic's brows furrowed even more, "What did you just call me?"

Menma was in trouble and he knew it. So, he decided to play it off, "No need to get all tensed up. What, are you telling me that I'm not allowed to visit my cross-universe friends?" He was trying so hard not to snatch the pinkett up right then and there. Naruto growled, "You have no business here. Now, tell me or I'll have you killed right now!"

Menma held his arms up in defense with a sly smirk on his face that Sakura was more than ready to wipe off. "Why so offensive? What have I done wrong-"?

"You know damn well what you did wrong! You nearly killed me and Naruto! Don't play like a dumbass now!"

Menma listened to Itachi's voice and gave him a mental nod, "My dear cherry blossom, don't you remember? I was being mind controlled from someone of 'your' universe. If anyone, you two are the real enemies." All the dark- haired man heard was a feral growl that shocked both jinchuriki before he felt himself crash into the opposite wall from the hokage office. "CHA! JACKASS! DON'T CALL ME THAT!" Naruto placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder, "I'll take it from here, Sakura- chan." The blonde moved to stand in front of Sakura. He held out a hand for Menma. Of course, he didn't accept it, and stood on his own, carrasing his swollen cheek. "Heh, reminds me of my mother."

"Menma," The nandaime started in his 'hokage voice', "My apologies for the way we acted. I had forgotten about Madara. And don't worry, he was defeated in the last war. Now, please explain why you are here."

Then, he was stuck. Honestly, Menma had only planned for a simple 'retrieve and retreat' mission. But now that he was already on the pinky's bad side, who keep in mind was overprotective of the hokage, who was also overprotective over her, his plan basically went down hill.

"Told you so..."

"Shut it, Itachi! I'll... come up with something!"

"Um, well," he sighed in surrender, "I actually came here for, a vacation?"

Both blonde and pink crossed their arms and rose a skeptical brow, "Vacation?"

"You see, something... terrible happened in my village." Did his voice really just waver? He surely wasn't going to cry over this now, right?

Both pink and blonde's eyes lowered with concern. Naruto guided the broken man over to the sofa in his office, and pulled up a chair to sit in front of him while Sakura went to work on his swollen jaw. "Just about 6 months ago, our hokage was sent on a mission. Well, you being a hokage yourself should understand how dangerous it is for a kage to leave their village. But... she never returned."

The medic and the hokage duo both gasped. Naruto spoke, "Didn't you look for her?"

"I'd be a fool if I didn't. Where I'm from, I'm a high ranked ANBU. I took direct orders from the hokage. That mission was only supposed to last for about 2 days. I've been searching for her ever since 12AM of the third day. I searched every hidden village, small town, everywhere. She was... no where to be found."

Sakura shook her head, "Who's in office now?"

"Lady Tsunade. She's only sitting there until either the 7th is found, or if... the 8th takes office."

"Who's the 8th?"

Menma rolled his eyes, "...me..."

Sakura was even more confused, "Why?"

The dark jinchuriki looked over to the pink beauty with a sad, hallow look on his face, "Because, I'm the closest person to her. I'm the most qualified for the job. Most importantly... she was... my wife."

The two best friends gasped again. Sakura spoke, "I... I'm so sorry."

"Who was she?" Naruto asked.

Menma didn't respond. Instead, he just looked over to the pink haired woman.

Sakura's eyes widened in realization. There was just no way...

* * *

**AN: Finally got up another chapter. Yeah, its some real stuff going on right here. Menma's desperate to get his woman back, and pretty soon, Naruto will catch on to his schemes. The next chapter will finish up this little scene right here, then we'll go a bit deeper into Naruto's story. Until then, hope you enjoyed! Fluffy-Akumaru ~ out! :)**


	4. AN important news

**First off, I wanna start by saying hello. I hope you all are doing well, what with all this crap going on in the world right now.**

**I'm not dead, I've just been slacking like REALLY hard these last couple of months and the motivation to continue this story is going down hill day by day.**

**It's not that i don't like the story, I just don't know how to build it up to the major climax I had set in mind.**

**So, this is my solution: the story shall be 'attempted' to continue, BUT, if there's anyone who'd like to help me build this story, please PM me. I'm really backed up right now and finding the time to write is becoming limited, unfortunately.**

**And... that's about it. Just one more thing though, if you've been reading my previous stories, you'd notice I stated that I wasn't going to write anymore until I found a start and end to my plot ideas. Yeah, I took that statement to heart... LITERALLY! XD**

**Also, if anyone does want to help me, please do be informed that this will of course spoil the story for you, which is why I'd understand if you'd don't want to help. **

**All in all, I appreciate the reviews this story has gotten thus far and I pray that I'll be able to find more motivation in writing. Until next time! Fluffy Akumaru- out!**


End file.
